Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces and check your text against common limits such as SMS messages, meta descriptions and social media posts.
Runs in your browser. Your data is not uploaded.
Emoji and accented letters count as one character each.
Character statistics
- Characters
- 0
- No spaces
- 0
- Characters without spaces
- Letters
- 0
- Words
- 0
Common length limits
- SMS (GSM-7)0 / 160 · 160 left
0 messages · 160 characters per SMS, 153 when split
- Page title (SEO)0 / 60 · 60 left
Longer titles are often cut off in search results
- Meta description0 / 160 · 160 left
Typical length shown in search results
- X (Twitter) post0 / 280 · 280 left
X counts some characters, such as emoji, as two
- YouTube title0 / 100 · 100 left
- Instagram caption0 / 2,200 · 2,200 left
- LinkedIn post0 / 3,000 · 3,000 left
How to count characters
- Type or paste your text into the box.
- See the number of characters with and without spaces, letters and words update as you type.
- Compare your text against common limits, such as SMS, page titles, meta descriptions and social posts, or add your own limit.
Features
With and without spaces
Both counts are shown side by side, since different platforms count differently.
Emoji-aware counting
Emoji, flags and accented letters count as one character each, as you see them.
SMS segments
Shows whether your text uses the standard GSM alphabet or Unicode, and how many SMS messages it will take.
Common limits built in
Instantly see how much room is left for page titles, meta descriptions, X posts, YouTube titles, Instagram captions and LinkedIn posts.
Custom limit
Enter any limit, for example for a form field or ad text.
Private
Your text is counted in your browser and never uploaded.
Common uses
- Write SEO titles and meta descriptions that aren’t cut off
- Keep text messages to a single SMS
- Fit social media posts and bios within limits
- Check text for forms with maximum lengths
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes, in most places, including SMS, social media and meta descriptions. That’s why the main count includes spaces. The count without spaces is shown too, for requirements that exclude them.
Why does X (Twitter) show a different count?
X gives some characters, including emoji and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters, a weight of two, and counts every link as 23 characters. This tool shows the plain character count, so X may show a slightly higher number.
How long should a meta description be?
Search engines typically display about 150–160 characters on desktop, fewer on mobile. Put the most important information first so nothing essential is cut off.
Is my text stored?
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser and your text isn’t saved or sent anywhere.
Why SMS limits change with emoji
Standard SMS uses a 7-bit alphabet (GSM-7) that fits 160 characters in one message. If your text contains any character outside that alphabet, such as an emoji or certain accented letters, the whole message switches to Unicode (UCS-2), and the limit drops to 70 characters. Longer messages are split into parts of 153 or 67 characters.
Some characters, such as €, [, ] and {, are in the GSM alphabet but take up two positions.